Tucson filmmaker documents life of American furniture icon | Entertainment

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He interviewed dozens of scholars, private collectors, and family members, including Ben Wiles, Stickley’s last living grandson, before his death in 2019.

“We got some great stories from him,” said Stratford. “He grew up in a house with Gustav towards the end of (Gustav’s) life.”

A longtime fan of Arts & Crafts furniture and home design, Stratford had pondered the idea of ​​making a documentary about Stickley for almost 20 years.

“There are many books written about Gustav Stickley, but any type of film is hard to come by,” said Stratford.

The documentary follows Stickley’s career from his early work in his uncle’s chair factory to the rise and fall of his own brand and its later resurgence in the 1970s, long after his death in 1942.

“Interest was explosive in the 1970s,” said Stratford. “People like Barbra Streisand spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Stickley furniture. The market went crazy. “

Startford said the film, which runs in just over an hour, is as accessible to younger generations as it is to longtime fans of the Arts & Crafts movement.

“It resonates,” he said. “Things like today’s DIY (do-it-yourself) movement share the same ethos as Stickley of working with your hands and making things that are made to last.”

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